Mar 15 St Patrick

Mar 15

                 Orange on Saint Patrick’s Day??

Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a

glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle

Run for your lives, the Chicago River has turned bright green! Oh, never mind it isn’t some indication of a coming apocalypse. They dye it green every year for St Patrick ’s Day. Savannah, Georgia does the same as do other cities. It is all part of the fun of St Patrick’s Day. Bars serve green beer, people wear green, advertisers use green in commercials, and everyone is supposedly Irish for that one day. In the United States few people know or care that Saint Patrick’s Day is a Catholic Holiday. (Holy Day)

      So did St Patrick ever wear orange? Nay laddie, twould be an outrage! So why is green associated with the celebration of the day St Patrick died? The green of Catholic Ireland has been associated with the Roman Catholic Church and its members for hundreds of years. For much of that time Protestant England has tried to conquer Ireland, and only managed to gain control of Northern Ireland, a small part of the country.  Today Ireland is split into two countries. The Republic of Ireland (Catholic) and Northern Ireland (Protestant).

    One of the English Kings that invaded Ireland centuries ago was William of Orange. Thus those who opposed the Catholic Irish were named Orangemen. Those who supported the Catholic Republic of Ireland were Greenmen.  On St Patrick’s Day in Ireland Catholics wear green and Protestants wear orange. That custom has not been followed in the United States.

    At one time I had a nice bright orange long sleeved shirt that I would always wear on St. Patrick’s Day. When people asked me where my green was I would explain I was not a Catholic, but a Protestant. It gave me a great opportunity to discuss church and faith and serve as a point of witnessing.

     My orange shirt is long gone, but I still do not wear green on St Patrick’s Day. It still gives me a chance to respond to people who ask “Where is your green?”  by pointing out that I am not a Roman Catholic.

     Now what is the point in all this talk of green and orange? Simply this, that I am not a Roman Catholic and do not wish to wear green. It is a great blessing to live in a country where we have religious freedom. They have the freedom to believe what they want and I have the freedom to believe something else.

For instance I do not believe that another man has the ability to forgive my sins because the Bible says;

1Jo 1:7 …the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

    

I don’t pray to Mary or one of the saints because the Bible says;.

1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator

between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

    Further I do not need any church to interpret the Bible for me, I believe the Bible alone has the message of salvation, and I do not believe any traditions of any church are worthwhile enough to rise to the same level as the authority of the scriptures.

Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

    There are many other things that the Bible teaches that I accept and believe. My beliefs are typical of Protestant beliefs.  Thus I am an Orangeman. I do not agree with some political groups that call themselves Orangemen but resort to violence and hatred.   I do align myself with the Protestant foundations of the Orangemen. Their beliefs are centered on Christ and the Bible as opposed to any specific church.

    Now if you ever see me wearing something Orange on St Patrick’s Day you will not need to ask me “Where is your Green” and hear me respond “I am not a Roman Catholic”

    Hopefully the spiritual truths of the Bible have not been lost in this Orange and Green discussion. Our starting verse should remind us that the church, that body of born again believers, will make up what is known as the Bride of Christ. We can all appreciate how fussy brides are when preparing for a marriage. May we all adopt the same attitude so the Bride of Christ, His true church, may be presented “not having spot, or wrinkle.”